<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Masks by GalahadWilder, Tiffpotato</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831307">Masks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadWilder/pseuds/GalahadWilder'>GalahadWilder</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiffpotato/pseuds/Tiffpotato'>Tiffpotato</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Identity Reveal, Superheroes Dating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:47:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadWilder/pseuds/GalahadWilder, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiffpotato/pseuds/Tiffpotato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryuko is falling in love with Viperion, and he feels the same about her. But nobody in their civilian lives can know who they're REALLY dating.</p><p>Except, unbeknownst to them, Adrien and Marinette already do. And they're trying to set them up as civilians.</p><p>Lovesquare, Lukagami/Ryukoperion style!</p><p>Story by Galahad, art by Potato. This fic was written both as part of the JV's Minigames 2nd art/fic trade and as a birthday present for <a href="https://15megapixels-mlb.tumblr.com/">15Megapixels-MLB.</a></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luka Couffaine | Viperion/Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Viperion/Ryuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>2020 JV Art and Fic Trade</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Masks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s a long night, and Ryuko feels nothing but exhaustion deep in her bones. Everything has gone wrong today—she didn’t even make the podium in the fencing tournament, she got a mediocre grade on one of her tests, and her mother spent the evening refusing to speak to her. Something deep inside her is screaming at her to drop, to just lie down on the roof and pass out, and even the comforting wash of the Miraculous isn’t quite helping. Her very scales feel offset, like they’re layered wrong against each other, rubbing the wrong way. Even the core of her horns feels cold despite the summer heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t want to be out here. She doesn’t really want to be anywhere, not tonight, but there’d been something in Ladybug’s voice when she asked, something Ryuko couldn’t quite place—and then Chat Noir had told her afterwards, in confidence, that Ladybug was breaking down, needed backup, needed help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug needs Ryuko out here, so Ryuko needs to be out here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her ears twitch at a soft footfall as her partner for the evening drops lithely from the higher roof with a slight rattle. She sucks in her lips. She appreciates the quiet—truly, she does—but there’s something about Viperion that sets her teeth on edge. Something about him reminds him of her mother—she knows his power, can’t help thinking that his professionalism is just him analyzing her for mistakes, and today she’s made nothing </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> mistakes. She had been looking forward to a night alone. Instead, the quiet seems adversarial.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion slithers up behind her, near-silent, and she feels a tightness in her spine. She doesn’t want to deal with this. Not tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem like you need to talk,” Viperion murmurs suddenly, shattering the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko’s muscles all snap tight at the sound. “What?” she hisses, her head locked forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your…” he says, in a voice softer than any she’s ever heard from him. She feels him glance away, almost as if he’s unsure of the word he’s searching for. “Your... body language. You’re tense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko’s lip curls downward. “I’m fine,” she says, still not turning around. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion shrugs. “Okay,” he says, ambling over to one of the rooftop air conditioning units. “Well, I want to sit for a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turns to look at him, her teeth catching on the inside of her cheek. She can’t read him—she can’t read anybody, really, never could even back in Osaka, and moving to Paris has left her even more bereft than usual. “I—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at her, and her stomach seizes. She’s certain that there’s something venomous behind those yellow eyes. Her heart stutters, and she momentarily wants to grab the hilt of her sword, but her hand stays frozen rock-solid down by her waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s used to this feeling. It’s not pleasant, but it’s bearable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then something in Viperion’s expression softens. “Ryuko,” he says. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> say no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko stiffens. This feels like a trap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion blinks. “How did that—” He tilts his head. “You’re scared of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko’s eyes narrow, but she doesn’t respond aside from a tightening of her knuckles. She’s not scared of him—she’s not scared of anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion shifts over, making room on the air conditioner for her. “Sit with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s… he’s soft. Softer than she expected. She doesn’t…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ryuko,” he murmurs, “take a break with me. Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> that does it. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> reaches into the part of her brain that insists that this is a trap, that he’s going to report her to Ladybug somehow and cost her her Miraculous, and teases it open like a toothpick gently opening the legs of an insect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For whatever reason—she can’t tell yet—Viperion is being honest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She walks toward him and slides down next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sight of his smile presses warmly against her chest, and somehow, she knows it’s genuine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He unhooks the lyre from his back, and something about the way he touches it looks... reverent. His professionalism is bleeding out of him as his fingers play over his lyre, and the sound that floats out—it’s ethereal, deep, calming. She can feel it like a current, an overwhelming tide, in her ribs, in the bones just behind her ears. It feels—it feels…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s vibrating, trying to hold it together, trying to keep her composure. Her composure is everything. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot let Viperion see her break.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at her, his eyes running over her for a moment before settling into something deep and knowing, and then…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mom got arrested again today,” he says, quietly, raw and honest and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurting</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his voice weaving into the music of the strings, and her resolve shatters. Every part of her seems to collapse at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami Tsurugi doesn’t cry. She’s too composed, too mature, too professional—it’s simply not something she </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And yet, somehow, Ryuko finds herself bawling into Viperion’s shoulder, his fingers stroking the scales on her spine like his lyre, finding just the right spots to make her shiver. Everything comes rushing out of her at once, as if every tear she hasn’t shed in the last four years has been waiting for this moment to come rushing out at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She empties out, hollows out, and her chest starts to lighten. Slowly, she realizes how close to him she is, how her scales are rubbing against his, and her eyes widen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulls back, out of his arms. “I—I am... sorry,” she says, wiping her eyes. “You should not have had to see that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion’s gentle smile covers something, an emotion she can’t quite recognize. He reaches down, takes her hand. “I’m honored that you showed me,” he says, stroking the skin between her thumb and forefinger, their scales brushing against each others’, raising a shiver on her skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She immediately snatches her hand back. “Do not touch me,” she says, only realizing after the words have left her mouth how harsh it sounds. She hastily adds a “Please,” hoping he won’t take it too poorly. “It isn’t you, I just… I don’t like it when—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles, crooked. “I can do that,” he says, and somehow she knows that he means it well</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko ghosts through her window, slipping past the security systems and padding gently onto the carpet. She can’t stop looking at her hand, at the one he touched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her room feels large, cold, bare in a way it hasn’t since she broke up with Adrien. In contrast to the warmth Viperion exuded all night...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s not at all like she assumed. His quiet—it’s nothing like her mother’s. He doesn’t judge. He’s like Adrien—no, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Marinette</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but… calmer. Quiet. Understanding. Perceptive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Longg, Open Sky,” she says, and all her scales rip off her body at once in a blast of gold lightning as the tiny dragon erupts from the bead on her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Longg hangs in the air in front of her, looking at her expectantly. After a moment, his head takes on a quizzical tilt. “You seem calmer, Kagami-san,” Longg says, the Japanese syllables gentle on his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He held my hand,” Kagami says, dreamily, as she sits down on the edge of her bed. She’s dimly aware that this isn’t something she’d normally do—bed is for sleeping, sitting is for chairs. And yet here she is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it patrol with Viperion went well,” Longg says. “I told you that you needn’t have worried.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was not worried,” Kagami interjects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Longg lets that pass without comment, though she doubts he agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… do not understand,” Kagami says, finally. “I dislike being touched, and yet…” She stares down at her hand, feeling the ghost of his thumb brush against the space between her thumb and forefinger. Just the memory of the contact gives her a shiver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It makes sense to me,” Longg says. “You are a healthy young woman, and Viperion is an attractive person of your preferred age and gender…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami looks up at him, squinting. “Are you suggesting that I am in love with him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Longg chuckles. “Of course not,” he says. “You’ve only had one conversation with him.” He tilts his head. “But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> seem like you were more vulnerable around him than you’ve been with anyone since Adrien.” He glances down at her hand. “Possibly more than that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dislike being vulnerable,” Kagami says, staring down at her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We all do,” Longg says, “humans and Kwami both.” He settles down on her knee, closer to her than he’s ever been—usually, he respects her space far too much to touch her, but for once she can’t bring herself to mind. “You should consider whether you want to pursue that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami lies back, staring at the ceiling, and wonders whether Longg is right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something’s off about Kagami. If Adrien didn’t know her so well, he wouldn’t notice—she’s still ferocious on the piste, still matching him parry for parry, driving him back with every thrust. But—though he can’t see her eyes through the red mesh of her helmet—he can tell she doesn’t seem to be looking at him. Her motions aren’t as whip-quick as normal; they’re smooth, almost dreamlike, like she’s half here and half elsewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He purses his lip as he parries a slash that lacks her typical brutality, then opens for a basic feint. If she were paying attention…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s not. She moves to block the feint, and the true strike slips past her guard, the point of his saber jabbing just underneath her armpit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her muscles tense as her head tilts down to glance at the point of the sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really distracted today,” Adrien says, pulling off his helmet. “Wanna take a break?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami swipes her sword downward, then back up, point held aggressively forward. “I am not distracted,” she spits, which experience has taught Adrien is Kagami for </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes please I am very distracted I could definitely use a break.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> taking a break,” he says, unplugging his sword. The only way to get Kagami to take care of herself, he’s found, is more or less by force—either by taking away all her other options, or by convincing her that she’s doing it for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walks over to the bench, twisting open a water bottle as Kagami reluctantly joins him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is my distraction obvious?” Kagami murmurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien smiles. “Only to me,” he says. “I don’t think… Jean, for instance, would have noticed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami shakes her head, huffing. “I cannot afford this,” she says, pressing her palms to her forehead. “I—I am acting like a child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If this were anyone else, Adrien would lay a gentle hand on her back. But Kagami hates being touched. Instead, he lays his hand, palm up, on the bench between them. “You actually seem… less tense than usual,” he says. “Today go well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami glances at his hand with a slight smile, then shakes her head. “No, not—not today,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien blinks. “Yesterday?” he says. “But you seemed so disappointed…” He trails off. Wait a moment. Yesterday evening… Ryuko was scheduled for duo patrol with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Viperion…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He glances at her sidelong. “There’s a guy, isn’t there,” he ventures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She freezes, eyes wide, her pupils slowly tracking towards him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>How much do you know?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> she hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Everything.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adrien shrugs. “Not much,” he says. “I just know you.” If he were speaking to anyone else, this wouldn’t exactly be the most plausible excuse—he can’t really read </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> this well. But Kagami doesn’t know that. She has a worse time reading people than he does. She doesn’t know how much trouble he has, so to her, ‘I can just read you’ is a believable excuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami sighs. “Yes,” she says. “There is... a boy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien scoots closer to her, grinning. “Tell me </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for coming with me,” Luka says as they walk towards the police station. “I don’t think I could have done this on my own, and Jules…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to justify,” Marinette says, smiling in a way she hopes is more reassuring than guilty. “I’m just glad I could help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Luka says. “Picking Mom up from the cops is always a bit rough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bail money?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka shakes his head with a rueful smile. “She likes to start fights.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oof,” Marinette says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walk in silence for a few minutes, and Marinette can’t help watching Luka. There’s something different about the way he’s acting, something that’s a little weird to try and put her finger on. Even after the two of them broke up, Luka had been attentive to her to an almost uncomfortable degree. If it had been anyone else, she would have assumed that they were trying to trick her into getting back together, but… that’s just how Luka </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He pays more attention to the people around him than to himself. Which is why it’s so interesting that he seems so distracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything okay?” Marinette says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka blinks, looking for all the world like he’s just come out of a trance, and glances down at her. “I—yeah,” he says. “Sorry.” He smiles. “Weird night last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette tilts her head. She knows he was on patrol last night with Ryuko, but of course he doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> she knows that. “Weird how?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka glances away. “Doesn’t matter,” he mutters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette barely catches the pinking of his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widen. “There’s a girl?” she says. Then, remembering that Luka isn’t exactly straight and that she isn’t supposed to know about Ryuko, she hastily tacks on, “Or... is it a guy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hopes it isn’t Ryuko, because if it is, there’s going to be some issues. She remembers Shell Shock and Rena Rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka glances at her sidelong, eyes narrow. “Uh,” he says. “Girl? Sort of?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is sort of a person who’s a girl, or there’s a person who’s sort of a girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, no. This could be very bad. “Tell me about her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean…” Luka says, “there’s some stuff… I can’t exactly say. But she seems… sad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, no. “Sad… how?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka smiles. “She’s a lot like you,” he says. “Puts a lot of pressure on herself.” He raises an eyebrow. “Bit like Adrien, too. Seems lonely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh no. Oh no no no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl is </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ryuko.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is bad,” Adrien says, pacing his bedroom. “Kagami deserves better than a relationship she can only have in a mask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is bad,” Marinette says, pacing her bedroom. “If Ryuko and Viperion start dating in the masks, they’re both gonna become weaknesses to each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what, you’re going to interfere?” Plagg says from Adrien’s desk, nibbling on a hunk of aged cheddar. “She’s allowed to make her own decisions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Tikki says from Marinette’s desk, pausing in the middle of knitting a tiny scarf and putting her needles aside. “But keeping them apart isn’t necessarily going to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the thing, Plagg,” Adrien says, turning on his heel and staring out his massive, floor-to-ceiling window. “I know both of their identities, and we already suspect that they’re compatible.” He turns to look back at Plagg. “So what if I just… set them up as civilians?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette sighs. “You’re right,” she says. “But… what if we provide them a better option?” She steps over to her desk, leaning her palms onto the surface, staring down at her computer screen. “I mean… I know both of their identities.” She looks at Tikki expectantly. “What if we tried setting them up as civilians?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That could work,” Tikki and Plagg say, simultaneously, half a kilometer away from each other in two different conversations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both of them are painfully, comically aware of the irony of the situation. And both of them are thinking, </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to go well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Put your fingers there… and… there,” Viperion says, gently guiding Ryuko’s fingertips to the right placement on the lyre. He lets go as soon as her fingers are in the right position—he knows from their last few unscheduled “patrols” together that she prefers not to be touched unless absolutely necessary. “How’s it feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko lifts the lyre, turning it over in her hand. “It feels… interesting,” she says. “I expected it to be lighter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion chuckles. “It’s not just an instrument,” he says. “It’s a weapon. I’ve brained a few people with that thing before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko looks at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Ah,” she says. She’s not smiling, but he can still sort of see the ghost of a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now if you play it like this,” Viperion says, running his gloved fingers over the strings, “you get that chord that you really like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gentle harmony ghosts out of the lyre, and Ryuko closes her eyes with a shudder. “It feels so strange,” she whispers as the music fades into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion smiles. “I wish I could feel the music the way you do,” he says. “My ASMR isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> that strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still appreciate it in ways that I cannot,” Ryuko says, tapping her fingers to the strings of the lyre but not strumming them. She looks at him. “What is ASMR?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know how certain sensory experiences give you brain tingles?” Viperion says. “Like that chord.” He raises an eyebrow. “Wind chimes, gongs…” He holds out a hand. “Skin contact…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko looks at him, then, gingerly, takes his hand in her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...warm breath on your skin…” he continues, lifting her hand toward his face, then raising an eyebrow questioningly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods, and he bends down, breathes gently on the back of her hand, right where her hand meets her wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shivers. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yabai,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she breathes. “That feels…” She swallows. “Do—do it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion smiles. “As the Dragon wishes,” he whispers, blowing on her wrist again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a moment to appreciate the absolute pleasure that crosses her face before gently loosing his fingers from her hand, giving her back her space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to regret it, you know,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko looks at him askance. “Regret what?” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not being able to touch your ex,” he says. “You weren’t ready.” He smiles. “Everything in its own time, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko’s shoulders slump. “I keep thinking how everything would have been different if I’d been able to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion shrugs. “You weren’t, though,” he says. “And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He leans forward with a grin. “Besides,” he says, “if not for that, you and I wouldn’t be here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko smiles back at him, shyly, with pink cheeks. “How—how are things going with </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> ex?” she says. “The one who is trying to set you up with her friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion leans back, looking up at the sky and rolling his eyes. “She thinks she’s being subtle,” he says with a chuckle. “That girl does not have a subtle bone in her body.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko lies down next to him—something she’d never have done even a week ago, she’s getting more comfortable around him—and curls up. “My friends have been acting strange as well,” she says. “Based on your experiences, I believe they might be attempting to set me up with a musician.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion laughs. “Did you tell them you’re already dating one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko lifts her head, flame-brown eyes meeting his own with a twinkle. “Of course not,” she says. “You are my secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion smiles. “I love the way you say that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ma Dragonne</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stare at each other for a moment, the night air heavy with meaning between them. Viperion can see the warring impulses in her mind—she wants to kiss him, she thinks she’s supposed to kiss him, but at the same time she doesn’t know whether it would be appropriate, whether it would be uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine with it,” he says, “but if you don’t want to—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cuts him off with soft, electric-tinged lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Luka arrives at Marinette’s door, carrying a fresh large pizza, he isn’t expecting Kagami to be the one who answers it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he says, as they both stare at each other, confused. “Hello.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami blinks rapidly at him. “Are you… the pizza delivery?” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka purses his lips. “Yep,” he says. “Let me guess, Marinette was ‘busy’ and asked you to grab the pizza?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka chuckles as he hands her the box. “I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>wondering</span>
  </em>
  <span> why she requested me specifically,” he says. “Good to see you again anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami nods. “You as well,” she says, before shutting the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka shakes his head. Marinette is not nearly as sneaky as she thinks she is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami isn’t very good at telling when Adrien is lying, but she’s willing to bet he didn’t “forget” about this band practice. It’s not like him—like her, he has everything meticulously scheduled, and someone else looks after that schedule for him. More likely, he intentionally double-booked so he could bring her to practice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion is right. Adrien and Marinette’s actions are very clearly attempts to “set her up” with Luka, and they’re only getting more and more obvious. It would be annoying if it wasn’t so nice—it means she gets to spend more time with her two favorite people in the world, and Luka is perfectly pleasant, so that part of it isn’t exactly onerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, when Adrien wanders off to talk with Marinette, she and Luka can’t help watching them with annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think they know we’re onto them?” Luka says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien still does not know that Marinette likes him,” Kagami says. “I doubt he would realize I was aware of his efforts if I made a poster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka snorts. “They’re pretty oblivious, those two,” he says. “Maybe we should just tell them that we’re dating other people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami smiles. “We could,” she says. “But I find this amusing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka nods. “Fair enough,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien is packing up after class when a tiny hand slams onto his desk. He jolts, looking up into the fiery eyes of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adrien,” she says, “are you trying to set up Kagami with Luka?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s breath catches in his throat. “I, um,” he says as his heart begins to sprint in panic. He’s not sure what to say here—he’s pretty sure she and Luka broke up, right? Is she still in love with him? Crap, is she in love with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kagami?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The two of them have been spending a lot of time together lately… “I can stop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette stares at him, her eyes boring into his, before a smile breaks across her face. “I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>wondering</span>
  </em>
  <span> why this was so easy to arrange,” she says. “It might be even </span>
  <em>
    <span>easier</span>
  </em>
  <span> if we worked together instead of separately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes a moment for Adrien’s brain to catch up with his ears. “Wait,” he says. “You’re trying to set them up too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Marinette says. “You in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
    
    
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Luka thought Adrien and Marinette trying to set him up with Kagami </span>
  <em>
    <span>separately</span>
  </em>
  <span> was bad, them trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>coordinate</span>
  </em>
  <span> their efforts is much, much worse. Group hangouts between the four of them that both Adrien and Marinette invariably ended up “too busy” for on short notice; more deliveries to their houses while Kagami was over; clumsy attempts at “blind dates” that were anything but blind. He’s starting to get sick of it, and as near as he can tell, so is Kagami.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally pulls Adrien aside after one of the rare band practices that the younger boy is able to attend. “Hey,” Luka says. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s heart-song immediately twangs into a minor key as his muscles all stiffen at once. “Sure,” he says, trying carefully—and fruitlessly—not to betray any of the tension in his body. “What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka can’t help a little burst of rage at the sound; what have their parents </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> to these poor rich kids?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can relax, dude,” Luka says. “It’s not about the band.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s whole body slumps. “Oh,” he breathes. “You’re…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always glad to have you,” Luka says. “We’re better when you’re here, and we miss you when you’re gone, but we know it’s not your fault that you can’t be here every time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien nods, his eyes moist. “Okay,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka tilts his head. “Walk with me?” he says. He shoots a glance at his sister and her girlfriend. “It’s private.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They leave the houseboat’s galley and make their way to the deck. Luka leans against the railing, staring at the waves of the Seine, before turning his head to look at Adrien. “You chose me to be Viperion,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien blinks. “That was Ladybug,” he says.</span>
</p><p><span>Luka smiles and shakes his head. “Nah,” he says. “She chose you</span><em><span>.</span></em> <em><span>You</span></em><span> chose me.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Adrien crosses his arms and joins him at the rail. “I mean, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka looks out to the distant shore. “I’m about to tell you a secret nobody else knows,” he says. “It’s the reason why I haven’t responded to any of your attempts to set me up with Kagami.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You—you </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> about those?” Adrien sputters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka smirks. “You and Marinette aren’t as subtle as you think you are,” he says. He purses his lips, then nods. “I’m already dating someone.” He looks askance at Adrien. “Specifically, Ryuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Adrien says. “I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every thought in Luka’s brain screeches to a halt like a derailed train. “You—you </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he says. “How do you—how could you—” There are so many things wrong with that statement, so many things wrong with what Adrien said, he doesn’t even know where to start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien freezes as he seems to realize what just came out of his mouth. “I, uh, I—that’s not what—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> I have a girlfriend,” Luka says, seething, “then </span>
  <em>
    <span>why the hell are you trying to set me up with someone else?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He can’t remember the last time he swore, or, for that matter, the last time he’s felt this angry. Adrien—Adrien is his friend, why is he </span>
  <em>
    <span>betraying</span>
  </em>
  <span> him like this? “What the HELL is wrong with you, you—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, suddenly, he stops. “Wait,” he says. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>How</span>
  </em>
  <span> did you know I was dating Ryuko?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien swallows, eyes wide. “Uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka narrows his eyes. “The team were the only ones who knew,” he says. “And you’re definitely not Aspik anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Lucky guess?” Adrien says, unconvincingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a terrible liar…” Not Carapace. Facial features are all wrong, and the skin color. Too short for Roi Singe. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> not Pegase. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably</span>
  </em>
  <span> male… “Chat Noir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the way Adrien’s eyes widen, Luka can tell he’s right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well. That explains… a lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>anybody</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Adrien says, his heart thudding in his chest. “Seriously, I mean it. Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person.” He can’t—he can’t lose Plagg again. And if his identity is compromised... “Not even Ryuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka mimes zipping his lip. “Your secret’s safe with me,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious, Luka,” Adrien says. “If Ladybug finds out that you know—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka blinks. “Wait,” he says. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> what you’re scared of?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s pulse explodes into his ears as he snatches fistfuls of Luka’s jacket. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t leave her alone again,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he hisses, his eyes boring into Luka’s with the full weight of the Avatar of Destruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka stands, frozen, eyes wide, and Adrien realizes how far he’s let himself snap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>spend</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Sass?” Luka breathes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien releases his shirt and steps back, his eyes averted, shame washing over him like a tide of filth. “Months,” he says. He suddenly realizes he’s flicking at his wrist again. He hasn’t done that in… a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka’s hands are on his shoulders. “Adrien,” he says. “I’m not telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>anybody.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien whimpers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka pulls him in close, draws him into a tight hug. “You’re okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien stiffens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka lets him go, draws back. “You… don’t like being touched.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s lips twist. “When I’m... really emotional,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like her,” Luka says. He tilts his head. “Wait,” he says. “You—you know who she is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien nods, lips pursed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you know I was dating her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s eyes widen. Oh, this isn’t going anywhere good. “Luka, don’t—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t try setting me for a breakup unless you </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Luka bends down, eyes looking up at Adrien through hooded eyes. “Adrien. Is Kagami Ryuko?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien wants to say no, but he can’t think of a lie quickly enough. And by the dawning realization in Luka’s eyes, he knows he’s too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Ryuko arrives at the predetermined spot for their unscheduled “patrol,” she’s not exactly surprised to see Viperion already waiting for her. He’s relaxed as usual—or rather, as he explained to her once, he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>faking</span>
  </em>
  <span> relaxation as usual—he never lets on to the people in his life how much stress he’s truly under, looking after both his mother and his sister pretty much on his own. He’s sitting at the edge of the roof, one knee up by his chest and one dangling out over the street, his fingers playing over the lyre with music like silver. She stands for a moment, leaning on one hip, watching her boyfriend lose himself in the music. It’s moments like these that remind her why she’s fallen for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His head tilts, his eyes clearly snapping open, as he turns his head and a slow smile spreads across his face. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ma Dragonne,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Chīsana hebi,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she responds, sliding in next to him with a quiet smile. She lays her head on his shoulder, careful not to let her horns dig into his arm. Touching him still gives her a shiver, but it’s more than worth it for the warmth the closeness gives her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lays the lyre to the side, holding out a hand for her, and after a moment of hesitation, she takes it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Viperion says. “I got some news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a testament to how well she knows him at this point that that doesn’t make her flinch. “Good news or bad news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles at her. “Very good,” he says. “You know that girl that my ex keeps trying to set me up with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko raises an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion’s smile turns into a smirk. “Her name is Kagami Tsurugi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ryuko’s heart stops. “What?” She blinks at him. “You—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Viperion’s grin grows toothy, to the point where she can see his fangs, and everything she knows about him falls into place at once. Single, irresponsible mother. Younger sister. The music, the deliveries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Couffaine?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sass,” he says. “Scales Rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s tackling him, her lips on his, before his hoodie is even in view.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two hours later, and, for the first time since they started seeing each other, Kagami Tsurugi and Luka Couffaine are together in public. It’s a late-night diner he used to run deliveries for before he started with the pizza place—the owner had greeted him with a knowing smile, while Luka asked after his family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, here they are, Tsurugi and Couffaine, two people who should have absolutely nothing in common, sitting across from each other in a booth sharing a chocolate torte.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Kagami says. “All this time, Adrien and Marinette have been trying to set us up with… ourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka snorts. “Looks like,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami looks away. “Does this… change anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should hope so,” Luka says with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami looks back at him, her heart thudding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luka lays his hand on the table, faceup. “It means we can start seeing each other in daylight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kagami stares for a moment, then smiles and places her hand in his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Luka says, leaning in conspiratorially. “I think we’ve earned ourselves a little payback on our exes, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Epilogue</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien paces the dance floor, waiting for Kagami to arrive. He’s stuck at another one of his dad’s parties, and her agreeing to be here is maybe the only thing that makes the thought of this evening bearable. But she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>thirty minutes late.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And he’s gotten no word from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His phone dings in his pocket—her text tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He yanks it out, fumbles, checks the text.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>こんばんは, Adrien! Sorry, I couldn’t make it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s heart drops. Oh, no. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t worry, I got someone else to fill in.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Luka’s text tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’d better kiss her by the end of the night, Catboy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The door creaks open, and he looks up to meet the shy, blue, shining eyes of a positively </span>
  <em>
    <span>radiant</span>
  </em>
  <span> Marinette Dupain-Cheng.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>